Bullseye
' Bullseye' is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. A psychopathic assassin, Bullseye uses the opportunities afforded by his line of work to exercise his homicidal tendencies and to work out his own personal vendetta against Daredevil. Although he possesses no superpowers, Bullseye is able to use almost any object as a lethal projectile, be it weapons like shuriken and sai or seemingly harmless objects like playing cards and pencils. His aim is uncanny, at a nearly preternatural level, but he has been known to miss moving targets. Fictional character biography Early life and back-story Bullseye grew up in The Bronx, where he lived with his brother and his abusive father. His brother's main form of recreation was playing with rifles, leading Bullseye to become an expert shot. When he was 10 years old, his brother started a fire in their home in an unsuccessful attempt to kill their father. Shortly thereafter, Bullseye was placed in a foster home, and became a baseball player in high school. Bullseye was an extremely talented pitcher, and was offered a scholarship, but instead opted to enter the minor leagues. After three games, he was called up to play a sold-out Major League game. He had surrendered no hits the entire game, and in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, he became bored and requested the coach pull him from the game. The coach refused, and insisted that he finish the game. The opposing team's batter mocked him, accusing him of cowardice. Bullseye threw the ball at his head, killing him. As the ball struck, he said only one word: "Bullseye". He was barred from professional baseball and convicted of manslaughter. This is a retcon of a previous origin story from Elektra #2, which depicts Bullseye growing up as a below average student in a trailer park with an alcoholic, physically abusive father. In this version of events, Bullseye fakes his father's suicide using a handgun set off by a toy arrow. None or all elements of this version may be true since it describes his father as possibly recovering from a recent divorce, fitting in perfectly with Daredevil's taunts in their confrontation during the "Hardcore" storyline. His cold demeanor and unique skills, however, meant subsequent recruitment by the National Security Agency as an assassin was inevitable, and he was soon assigned to train Contras in Nicaragua. By the time he arrived, however, he claimed to have already been planning to leave the NSA. He had planned on robbing the Contras blind and fleeing, but soon discovered they were desperately poor. Bullseye made the best of the situation: within seven hours of being informed of their poverty, he had led the Contras in seizing a landing strip that the Colombian cocaine smugglers were using as a staging area before moving on to the United States. Without use of the airfield, the smugglers were unable to send new shipments. Bullseye set up Paolo, his hapless Nicaraguan translator, as the leader of the new force controlling the airfield, and let the word spread around. However, Paolo was nothing but a patsy. Bullseye planned to invite several organized crime heads to the airfield to broker a new deal with him as Paolo's supposed "right hand man". He would take their money and disappear, presumably leaving Paolo to suffer the wrath of the Mafia, Russian Mafia, Yakuza, and various other criminal elements. This outcome is unknown, as before the deal could be finalized, the Punisher (Frank Castle) arrived. Castle killed all the organized crime leaders in a fiery explosion from which Bullseye barely escaped. The two engaged in a fierce battle in which Bullseye was able to wound the Punisher and evade or disable several of his weapons. Bullseye then used some blood-reddened mud to paint a bull's-eye on his forehead, mocking Castle's inability to hit him. The fight concluded when Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrived, and the Punisher fled. Bullseye turned himself in to the D.E.A. agents and soon was assigned to infiltrate the Kingpin's criminal empire. He obtained a costume, fled yet again, and became one of the most dangerous hitmen in the world. All of the above information was given by Bullseye during a subsequent interrogation by US intelligence. Just prior to escaping from custody, Bullseye confessed he made up some or all of his story to amuse himself; for example, he claims that he was really the one who started the fire which burned down his childhood home. The whole capture was a plan by the assassin to gain access to the prison where his father was being held. The story ends with Bullseye finally getting revenge on his father, leaving him to burn as the prison's security systems torched everything inside. Costumed criminal career Bullseye battled (and defeated) Daredevil at a circus in order to establish his reputation as an extortionist.[7] Shortly after, Daredevil by chance heard him in the midst of an extortion attempt and captured him.[8] Bullseye was later hired by Maxwell Glenn to kill Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson, and Daredevil interfered. Although Bullseye defeated him again, Daredevil escaped with his life,[9] and Bullseye's professional reputation was damaged as a result. Seeking to regain his credibility, he challenged Daredevil on live television, but was soundly defeated.[10] Smarting from this even harsher blow to his reputation, Bullseye hired Eric Slaughter's gang and kidnaped Daredevil's ex-girlfriend, the Black Widow, to bait him into a revenge bout.[11] Daredevil defeated him again, and the despair of this repeated humiliation drove him to a mental breakdown.[12] It is later revealed that this breakdown was in part caused by a brain tumor, which began causingmigraines, paranoia, and hallucinations that everyone he meets is Daredevil.[13] He escaped from prison, but was recaptured by Daredevil, and the tumor was successfully removed.[13] The symptoms of the tumor quickly disappeared, and defense lawyers were able to have him freed on the argument that his criminal behavior was caused solely by the brain tumor. He was hired to assassinate theKingpin, but met with repeated failure.[14] Inexplicably, this convinced the Kingpin to employ him as his chief assassin, but he fired him the same day when he witnessed his humiliating defeat at Daredevil's hands.[15] Bullseye's repeated failed attempts to regain this briefly-held position became a running joke of the Daredevil series. While in prison, he learned that the Kingpin had employed a new chief assassin: Elektra, Daredevil's former lover. After escaping prison, Bullseye attacked Elektra and impaled her on her own sai. This failed to convince the Kingpin, who said he would only rehire him if he kills Daredevil.[16] Bullseye then attempted to ambush Daredevil, but their battle ended with his arch-foe dropping him from atop a telephone wire. The multi-story fall broke Bullseye's back, paralyzing him.[16] During Bullseye's extended hospital stay following the fall, Daredevil broke into his hospital room and forced him to participate in a two-man variation on Russian roulette. The revolver used in the game was secretly unloaded, but Daredevil had Bulleye take the even-numbered turns so that he would feel sure that the last shot was going to kill him.[17] Bullseye has repeatedly cited this incident as his greatest grudge against Daredevil.[18][19] Japanese scientist Lord Dark Wind liberated Bullseye and had him brought to Japan, where he laced his bones with adamantium, thus restoring his mobility. Lord Dark Wind did this so that Bullseye will do assassinations for him in return, but despite the favor done him, Bullseye refused to work for free.[20] He instead made another play to regain the position of chief assassin for the Kingpin, who again said he would give him the position if he kills Daredevil, knowing he would fail.[18] Bullseye was imprisoned for several years. Bullseye eventually escaped prison,[21] and then battled Captain America.[22] He battled Crossbones in an attempt to assassinate the Red Skull to regain his position with the Kingpin.[23] Bullseye then encountered an amnesiac Daredevil.[24] He took advantage of Daredevil's amnesia by impersonating him and committing robberies in an attempt to destroy his image.[25] In one of his early heists he was caught by his mark's disillusioned trophy wife. He became enamored of her, and when she pleaded with him to take her away with him, he kept her in his derelict hideout as his lover, attempting to flatter her by showering her with stolen money and jewelry. However, she came to realize that he is mentally weak, and frightened by one of his psychotic outbursts, she left him.[26] Gradually Bullseye became so immersed in his Daredevil impersonation that he believed himself to truly be Daredevil, a confusion which the real hero took advantage of in order to defeat him.[27] Bullseye later had another run-in with the Punisher when he is part of Frank's frame-up scheme that ends with Bullseye getting both of his hands shot and losing a finger to the Punisher's brutality. Bullseye encountered Deadpool [28] and Gambit [29] during another long interval in which the character is seldom used. Bullseye was hired by the villain Mysterio to attack and confuse Daredevil. In the course of their battle, Bullseye killed Daredevil's longtime love interest, Karen Page, with one of Daredevil's own billy clubs.[30] Bullseye was then recruited to steal the Identity Disc, purported to be in possession of AIM and have vital information on the world's superheroes, along with Deadpool, Sabretooth, the Vulture, andJuggernaut.[31] Bullseye offered to kill Daredevil for Kingpin, later entering Daredevil's apartment and attempting to kill his old enemy's new girlfriend, Milla Donovan. Enraged and already near the breaking point, Daredevil attacked Bullseye and threw him out the window. During the fight, the hero revealed to Bullseye that he knows his origin: that his real name is Lester, his mother was a prostitute, and that he never knew his father.[32] He mocked the assassin's new 'Bullseye' tattoo and carved a new one over it with a rock.[33] Bullseye sought purported documents confirming Daredevil's secret identity. After a brutal fight with Daredevil and Elektra, Bullseye fled into open traffic where he was hit by a truck, sustaining severe injuries. [34] Thunderbolts Bullseye, along with many other villains, is recruited into the New Thunderbolts by Iron Man and Mister Fantastic to hunt down anti-registration superheroes in the Marvel Civil War storyline.[35] Afterwards he is recruited by Norman Osborn into the reformed team led by Moonstone. He operates invisibly and is not seen by the public. He is used as a last resort and has a nano-chain fed into his system, so if he disobeys orders, he will receive an electrical shock.[19] Bullseye fights American Eagle after having been deceived by Songbird and told that she has disabled his nano-chain. During the fight, he simultaneously receives an electrical shock from the nano-chain in his system on order of Moonstone and is attacked by American Eagle. American Eagle beats him severely, mocking him throughout for purposely avoiding fights with superpowered foes, and finally breaks Bullseye's neck. As a result of the damage sustained from both being attacked by a man with superhuman strength and being shocked by the nano-chain, Bullseye is paralyzed, is unable to speak, and has incurred severe brain injury.[36] Bullseye is later shown walking due to nanomechanical surgery, then goes on a killing spree using scalpels to "get some target practice in."[37] Later, he joins the Thunderbolts in their efforts to assassinate Moon Knight.[38] Bullseye was with the Thunderbolts when they fought the Skrulls in Washington DC.[39] He took advantage of a recently apparently resurrected Andrea von Strucker being distracted by Moonstone to kill Andrea, and nearly kill Moonstone.[40] Bullseye travels along with the other Thunderbolts to Central Park and joins the final battle against the main Skrull force. Obtaining a missile launcher from the Zeus, he fires a rocket through the right eye of the Yellowjacket Skrull, disabling him from engaging other heroes.[41] Osborn orders Bullseye to kill Songbird, finally giving Bullseye the chance for revenge on her.[42] Bullseye nearly succeeds, but is incapacitated by the Swordsman, who helps her escape.[43] Dark Avengers As a reward from Norman Osborn for his role during the Skrull invasion, Bullseye is placed on the Dark Avengers and given the costume and codename of Hawkeye.[44] Norman Osborn hires Bullseye to eliminate Deadpool, from whom Norman stole data about "how to kill a Skrull queen," but Bullseye is unsuccessful.[45] On the Dark Avengers' first mission, he kills Morgana le Fey (who had just died by the hands of Sentry and returned) only for her to return yet again with an army of demons.[46] The Dark Avengers fight a rogue Hulkbuster robot, and "Hawkeye" disables the robot after killing its pilot. The robot falls, killing thirty-six civilians. When Osborn reprimanded Bullseye for his part in the deaths, Bullseye demanded credit for his kills. "Hawkeye" then goes out and saves a woman from being attacked by three men. He kills them, and the woman as well. At this point it is questionable whether or not he intended to kill the woman as well as the criminals; originally he told her he is a "hero" and was there to help her. She apparently inadvertantantly infuriated him by referring to Norman Osborn as "his boss". After he killed her, he noticed a news crew in a helicopter who happen to be filming the action.[47] He then silenced the news crew by blowing the helicopter up.[48] Bullseye has been used to take out his old partner, Deadpool. Although successfully incapacitating him and proving to be a worthy opponent, Deadpool eventually gained the upperhand and stabbed him through the chest with a meathook. He later woke up in a hospital and went after Deadpool again. Deadpool easily avoided Bullseye's attacks, including dodging an RPG fired at him while he was driving a vehicle by maneuvering the vehicle in such a way that the RPG passed through the open windows of the car without exploding. Deadpool then ran Bullseye down, stopping with the one of the vehicles tires on Bullseye's leg. Deadpool then jumped out of the vehicle, said "cool to park here?", and started a chainsaw, clearly intending to decapitate the helpless Bullseye. Bullseye then quickly paid off Deadpool (under the pretense that his boss, Norman Osborn, told him to do so) to save himself from death by chainsaw.[49] Elecrtra stabbed Bullseye with his own arrow.[50] Bullseye is later given the order by Osborn to eliminate Daredevil, who has been discovered leading the Hand.[51] Daredevil, who is going through the trials needed to join the Hand, and Bullseye clash, but it is inconclusive. At the end, Bullseye booby-traps a building with one hundred people in it. Daredevil continues to battle Bullseye unaware that the building is rigged and that Bullseye has the detonator. When the building explodes, Bullseye escapes and leaves Daredevil to his grief, mocking that if Daredevil had chosen to kill him the people in the building might have been saved.[52] Molecule Man turned Bullseye into a pool of water to subdue him; however as a liquid he still tries to attack Molecule Man causing him to remark, "That is angry water".[53] He is restored by the Sentry.[54] He is also part of the team when they go to Manhattan to look for Noh-Varr. Sentry has found him first but was distracted and left the battle later to find Noh-Varr gone.[55] Norman Osborn later assigns Bullseye with the duty to kill Sentry's wife Lindy.[56] He takes her for a helicopter ride, and strangles her and dumps her body in the ocean. When the Sentry questions him about Lindy's whereabouts, Bullseye claims she committed suicide over the countryside by jumping out of the copter, and the Sentry flies off to find her.[57] Shadowland In the aftermath of Siege, Bullseye is incarcerated and sent to the Raft. However in the process of transferring him there, he manages to kill his captors and escapes. He makes his way back to Hell's Kitchen and arrives at Shadowland, Daredevil's fortress and is confronted by him and a legion of Hand ninjas. Bullseye effortlessly defeats the ninjas, and turns his attention to Daredevil. However, Bullseye is unprepared for his enemy's newfound ruthlessness as Daredevil dislocates both his shoulders and then stabs him through the heart with his own sai, in much the same way Bullseye had done to Elektra years ago.[58] Later, a group of Hells Bikers would put together a funeral service (unauthorized, as J. Jonah Jameson had expressly forbade it) for Bullseye. Ben Urich is dragged along, as well as Danny Deaver. Deaver however keeps getting visions of Bullseye, and it is not clear whether or not it is the real ghost, or just part of Deaver's psychosis. The funeral service is interrupted byDaredevil and the Hand, as a massive brawl breaks out, almost killing Urich.[59] Daredevil is later seen exhuming Bullseye's corpse, intending to resurrect him as a soldier loyal to the Hand.[60] The heroes interrupt the ceremony, preventing Bullseye's resurrection.[61] Powers and abilities While Bullseye technically has no superhuman powers, he has an innate ability to throw virtually any object as a projectile with incredible accuracy and with enough force to be lethal. He can accomplish many feats with thrown projectiles that are impossible outside of fiction. Some of his accomplishments include lacerating a person’s throat with a thrown playing card, spitting his own tooth through a human skull, tossing a paper airplane to a distant rooftop, and killing a person with a toothpick thrown through a window from a hundred yards away.[62] Aside from his ability to throw projectiles with lethal accuracy, Bullseye is also an expert martial artist and is extremely talented in the use of edged/throwing weapons and conventional firearms. Bullseye has exceptional physical conditioning, with the agility, reflexes, stamina, and speed of a professional athlete. Due to injuries from a multi-story fall, many of Bullseye's bones have been reinforced with strips of adamantium.[63] This has increased his resistance to injury in unarmed combat. This reinforcement also allows Bullseye to utilize acrobatic maneuvers impossible for an ordinary human, as his bones are protected from fracture. While Wolverine's adamantium was implanted using only stolen, incomplete notes on the bonding process as a guideline,[64] and thus only his mutant healing factor allowed him to survive the process, Bullseye's surgery was performed properly by Lord Dark Windhimself, and thus included the special herb treatment which prevents the body from being destroyed by the implantation.[63] Bullseye has a compulsive need to study his targets' histories, abilities, and relationships before engaging them. He employs this information to attempt to anticipate his opponents' movements in combat. This compulsion often crosses from the professional into the personal, such as Bullseye's obsession with Elektra. Due to a mutual head injury, Bullseye was able to sense Daredevil's presence psychically for a brief time. Role in Ultima In Ultima, Bullseye was recruited alongside many other villains from the Marvel Universe into the ranks of the Organization as a member of the massive Neo Masters of Evil army. Bullseyes currently serves as a commander of the Grunts due to his kinship with many of them due to them mostly being as depraved and bloodthirsty as he is. He also serves as one of the original members of the Hand before the recent restructuring by the Mandarin and the Kingpin. Category:Antagonists Category:Organization Category:Neo Masters of Evil Category:The Hand